Trump Sanctions Hague Court Over Israel Probe

(JNS) U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Thursday over its investigation of Israel for alleged “war crimes” in Gaza and its decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The order includes a declaration of a national emergency to respond to what it describes as the court’s “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

“The ICC’s recent actions against Israel and the United States set a dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former United States personnel, including active service members of the Armed Forces, by exposing them to harassment, abuse and possible arrest,” the order states.

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Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the court, which is a stand-alone entity in The Hague and is not a part of the United Nations. Both Washington and Jerusalem have argued that they are outside the tribunal’s jurisdiction.